An internship in the program department of the Goethe-Institut New York.
Three months between city flash and cultural oases.
There it was, the city that captivates visitors, the city that never sleeps, that fulfills dreams. Arriving on a cold late November day left no doubt that she also has a rough side. First long queues at JFK Airport, then a taxi driver who initially refused to go to Brooklyn. Too far, not his route. Great first impression.
However, a half-hour taxi ride later, someone else made an impression on me. With a friendly and exuberant “Isaaaa, there you are. Welcome!” my new roommate opened the door for me.
In the marathon to get the visa & in the sprint to the shared room
Welcome to New York City! I had been preparing for this trip for months. Getting a visa is a small mission. Another conversation at the embassy and another questionnaire. A lot of bureaucracy, which sometimes leaves you a little unsure. You should plan two months for this part of the travel organization. Next point: accommodation. Obviously I couldn't afford my own apartment, especially not in Manhattan. The average rent for one-room apartments is around 2,300 US dollars (around 1,800 euros). Accordingly, many New Yorkers live in cramped conditions or are increasingly fleeing to Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island or the Bronx. Gentrification – also a big issue in the Big Apple. Contrary to all the gloomy predictions, I found my new shared apartment with three people quickly and easily. The internet portal airbnb.de is the ideal web address for renting and booking sleeping spaces around the world. My 13 square meter room cost the equivalent of 600 euros per month - a real bargain by New York standards!
Goethe in Manhattan
The first two days were filled with a “crash course in New York” and it became clear that this megacity exceeded all expectations. Huge, loud and fast, a racing metropolis.
I will never forget the first walk over the Brooklyn Bridge towards Manhattan. My gaze was glued to the towering skyline and suddenly I was in the middle of Lower Manhattan, in the canyons of streets and avenues laid out like a checkerboard. The Goethe-Institut is located in a light-flooded loft on the eleventh floor with a view over SoHo. The institute management and the program department, the GAPP (German American Partnership Program), the library and the language department work here, just a stone's throw from Broadway.
Multitasker & Global Kitchen
I made my daily commute to work using the subway (a monthly ticket costs $112). The New York subway is characteristically somewhat idiosyncratic - and New Yorkers have become accustomed to delays and missing timetables. They wait, sometimes longer, their calm is admirable. They are patient, even though they mostly run instead of walking, sipping coffee and playing with their iPhone. Multitaskers and experienced time management professionals. Everything has to happen quickly, including the food, of course. The international restaurants around Spring Street, the address of the Goethe-Institut, prove that fast food doesn't just mean greasy fries and burgers. Whether it's hummus and falafel on your lunch break, a surprisingly delicious vodka pizza at Lombardi's, fresh Asian food in Chinatown or a traditional Jewish pastrami sandwich at Katz's Deli - the food also shows that New York is a city of immigrants. My personal favorite and the recommendation for anyone who likes sweets: the banana pudding at the Little Cupcake Bakeshop on Prince Street.
Metropolitan etiquette
On the weekends, trips to the outskirts or the surrounding area are worthwhile. For example, to Coney Island, a peninsula on the Atlantic coast in the south of Brooklyn. Sometimes just a walk on the High Line, a disused and leafy elevated railway line in the west of Manhattan, or jogging in Central Park is enough to relieve an overdose of urban madness. Signs point out the correct direction of running so that there is no disorder in the crowd. In general, visitors to NYC will find an overwhelming amount of information boards about what you can do and where - or not. Like smoking in parks or honking on certain street corners. “Pay attention while walking – your Facebook status update can wait” – the artist Jay Shells uses official-looking signs all over the cityscape to point out the supposed dangers of digital networking for your own road safety. Politeness and helpfulness are part of the etiquette of the metropolis anyway. If you get lost, just ask. Sometimes all it takes is a helpless look and someone passing by will pull out their smartphone, turn on Google Maps and patiently explain the route.
Fed up with culture
There are more than enough options for diversion in New York. It is home to 200 museums and over 500 galleries alone. The Goethe Institute's cultural offerings also filled many evenings - from the philosophy course on the Frankfurt School to the lecture by director Margarethe von Trotta about her film “Hannah Arendt”. I was able to help organize many events, was involved in press and public relations work and enjoyed great collaboration with friendly, helpful colleagues.
New York with its limitless cultural landscape and the Goethe Institute as a place for exchange and ideas are the ideal combination for a three-month stay abroad. I don't want to miss this time.
Someone could have told me that at the airport.
Related links: Studying in the USA
http://www.educationusa.info/5_steps_to_study/undergraduate_step_1_define_your_priorities.php
www.columbia.edu/cu/isso/admit
New York subway
Source: Wikimedia Commons
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An internship in the program department of the Goethe-Institut New York. Three months between city flash and cultural oases. There it was, the city that captivates visitors, the city that never sleeps, that fulfills dreams. Arriving on a cold late November day left no doubt that she also has a rough side. First long queues at JFK
